Breathing Memory
by cyanide dragon
Summary: First kakasaku fic. Sometimes a scent lasts longer than a memory...
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, I don't own kakasaku...say, what DO I own then?

And this is my first Naruto fanfic. Um. yes. Take it as you will.  
(To the under-appreciated olfactory sense, kakasaku style)

Breathing Memory

A scent sometimes stays longer in memory than an image. Images grow old in the mind, tarnished and distorted by thought and opinion, and many times are forgotten. But smells last. Sakura knew that.

Sakura didn't see her former teammates or sensei often anymore, being a medical ninja afforded little off-time. Naruto was always off doing who-knows-what for Konoha, being the Hokage and all (she remembered the aroma of ramen on the night she and Naruto and all their comrades stormed Ichiraku and devoured ramen in congratulations to the Rokudaime.), Sasuke had disappeared and was roaming the continent (the scent of the solitary sakura blossom and the farewell letter lingered in her mind even after all these months, though the flower had withered and the paper crumpled). And Kakashi was...he was...what was he doing these days?

Some said he left the village and was now in another country, happily married and watching over his son (Sakura highly doubted that), others said he had hidden himself away in the mountains and was leading an ascetic life to atone for the lives he had taken (she definitely didn't believe THAT), while a few thought that he was managing Jiraiya's bathhouses until Naruto had time or was legally eligable to take care of them (that sounded about right in her mind). At any rate, he wasn't here. And he hadn't been in Konoha for four long years.

And for everything that had ever crossed her mind and her nose, the way Kakashi-sensei had smelled always lingered. As Sakura filled out the medical files on her desk, she couldn't help dwelling on it. A hospital was so sterile, it never smelled of a thing unless blood or vomit or whatnot from the violence of the outside world came and interrupted it. Thus without a smell of its own, it never seemed real. Sakura put her pen down and thought long and hard. What did he use to smell like, what did he smell like...

She thought of him passing by her one day after training. There was a slight gust, and as he passed, with his dirty book in one hand (he was SO at the bathhouses), she caught a whiff of a clean smell of bamboo, a minty smell, too, and a wood scent. The springtime flowers hadn't blossomed yet, and she was covered in mud, and a clean scent suddenly made her jump.

And when he said good- bye to her before he went looking for Sasuke and Naruto, he gave her a brief hug and sauntered away, she caught again in her nose that clean smell once again: dark and pleasant, clean and deadly, only something Kakashi could pull off. He didn't wear cologne, she didn't think, and she was sure he didn't change his clothes that often, so how could he smell so good all the time?

She smiled at the rememberance of the time their team had to go shovel manure for a farmer. The odor that hit them caused the genin to retch, and Naruto had blurted out, "WHAT'S THAT SMELL?" Kakashi had chuckled, and said, "That's the smell of my cologne". With that comment in mind, they spent the day making mean remarks about the fetid stench and Kakashi, but Sakura never stopped wondering about how he could smell so good. It was awkward that she'd remember him this way, but that was just how it was...

Her secretary suddenly knocked on the office door, and Sakura snapped out of her reverie. "Yes?" Sakura inquired, shoving the paperwork to her left, causing some to fall into the trashcan. "Someone sent you flowers, Sakura-san", the girl murmured, carrying in an odd bouquet/bonsai garden/ arrangement of plants. Whoever did it wasn't Ino, thought the pink-haired medic nin, but she kept the comment to herself and relieved the girl of the mass of...plants.

Sakura set it precariously on top of another mass of paperwork and medical journals, just next to an open window in her office. She continued to work, and tried not to be distracted by the monsterous pot of greenary and things.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through the open window, upsetting the papers all over Sakura's office, causing a blizzard of forms, magazines, and reports. But that didn't concern her, because she suddenly smelled something she hadn't smelled in ages.

It clean like a river and dark like rainy nights in Konoha when she was all alone wishing for someone and it stirred hope because she knew, she knew that smell, it was like home and it was familiar and heart-wrenching and it couldn't be, but it was, through and through. The room was suddenly filled with the scent of Kakashi.

But how? Sakura turned to the mass of plants and began noticing what was in it...everything that ever came to mind. Bamboo, and, bergamot, and orange blossoms. Digging through the leaves, she grabbed the card that she hadn't noticed before that was in the chaos.

And when she read what was on the simple white card, she sunk to the ground, cried, smiled, and laughed.

It read:

Guess who it is? 


	2. Sending Memory

Look! Second installment! I never even thought this would get so many requests for continuation! But this chapter sucks...I'm not very good at the whole "chapter business" 

Disclaimer: This was a crappy chapter. Naruto doesn't belong to me.

Breathing Memory Part II

It had been four years, though Kakashi swore it had been longer. As he reclined on his leather swivel chair, he took a quick break from paperwork to reminise. After all, hadn't he worked a good thirty minutes already? Very stressful, holding attention for longer than ten minutes. He couldn't help looking with one lazy eye at the picture framed in dark wood on top of his mahogany desk. A picture of two grumpy boys, one smiling girl, and a lax teacher. Oh the memories...Kakashi had to smirk.

What were his former students doing? The last time Naruto came to visit him was a month ago, and the visit had been brief. Naruto had told him that he was now the Rokukage, but had no time to celebrate due to a Grass/Mist country border dispute he had to mediate. Naruto would do fine as the Hokage (and he still smelled of ramen). Konoha hadn't enjoyed so much energy since Gai's pathetic attempt at street miming. But unlike Gai's miming, Naruto's rule over Konoha would be successful.

Sasuke had visited two months ago. He was off learning jutsus in different countries, cataloging them using his Sharingin while continuing his search for strength. He had been contemplating returning to Konoha to take up Naruto's invitation to lead ANBU, but maybe in a year. Maybe never. Sasuke was hopeless, but always fun to get drunk. No alcohol tolerance. The copy-cat ninja chuckled at the thought of a sake-soaked Sasuke, who smelled of alcohol and crackers. EW.

Lastly, Kakashi's eye rested on the image of his last student, the pink-haired kunoichi. He hadn't seen her in four years. What was she doing? Did she complete medic nin training? What was she doing? What did she think /he/ was doing? Of the rumors he had heard, some thought that Kakashi was living the married life (him? Please.). Others said he was atoning for his sins by becoming a solitary monk in the mountains (He couldn't believe people would believe that). But the truth was the last rumor: that he was managing Jiraiya's bathhouses until Naruto had time or was legally allowed to take charge of them. How could he refuse?

Babes.

Up-standing business.

Good pay.

Babes.

Relaxation.

Babes.

Simple desk job.

Did he mention babes?

But he was bored now. Managing two bathhouses was a chore, but after a while, life gets dull.

He wondered...since he hadn't seen Sakura in all this time...

And since she led such a boring life (she was too normal, thought Kakashi)...

Maybe he should shake up her life a little...

But wait a minute...did Sakura even care about her grumpy old teacher anymore? Kakashi had to wonder, especially due to the fact that she was always the one criticizing his corniness, lastness, pervertedness, every -ness that came along. What was he thinking? She was probably working happily and peacefully as a medical nin and certainly did not want to be reminded of the past.

But the past, as Kakashi knew, was never really gone.

After finishing five more minutes of paperwork, he decided to figure out a way to get her attention. Send her a picture? Then she would think someone had kidnapped him, which would be bad. How about sending her Icha Icha Paradise with a map on the first page? No, she would burn it the moment she saw the infamous orange book. A lock of hair? Ewww...what was he thinking? He needed all that he could get in case he ever became bald! What to do, what to do...

The Copy Ninja was still ruminating on this conundrum well into the night. As he sat outside, a gentle breeze rustled the branches of a nearby tree. The sweet smell of sakura petals passed briefly through the air and subsided with the zephyr. The scent suddenly reminded him of his former student's pink hair.

Epiphany.

Kakashi hastily summoned Pakkun. The small brown dog stared grumpily at the jounin and muttered, "Hey, I was sleeping! What--"

"Look, could you do something for me?" Kakashi asked quickly, before the idea could leave his mind. "Listen carefully..."

(Break)

Ino was sure she was hung over. She must be drunk. She had to be. Or else what could explain a dog placing an order for flowers on a Sunday morning? Yes, drunk, that must be it.

"So you got that?"

"Huh? Sorry, come again?"

"Did you hear the order I placed?"

"Umm...right, right. Hey, are you sure you're not a--"

"Mirage?"

"Yeah, one of those."

Pakkun pulled out an wad of money from the envelope he had been carrying in his mouth.

"Does this convince you I'm real?"

Ino knew enough to know that money is /always/ real.

"Ohhhh...of course, of course! I was kidding about the mirage thing, you know!" she said, going into shopkeeper mode.

"Right, could you hurry up and get it in by the afternoon?"

"Sure! Would you like it in a vase or a pot?"

"Uhhh...whatever's cheapest."

"Any sort of arrangement style that you would prefer?"

"Yeah. Make it as ugly as possible."

Ino paused when she heard this. Ugly? Yamanaka Ino didn't /do/ ugly. But hey, the little dog was pulling out more money, and she was sure that she could always try something new! Of course! Ugly!

"Nooo problem!" she chirped, quickly grabbing the money from the pug's paw. "I promise your order will be sent to the hospital by 11:00 AM! And I hope your mother gets better!"

Ino was too busy counting the money to notice that the dog disappeared in a puff of smoke. Okay, bergamot, bamboo, and a few other things and an ugly pot, Ino thought to herself, and think ugly. Like Kiba after a month without a shower ugly. This was going to be easy.

(Break)

Michiro wasn't very knowledgable about flower-arranging, but she was sure that was the most hideous bundle of plants she had ever seen. But she didn't like flowers very much anyway, so who was she to judge? Though it did smell very nice. All she knew was that she was suppose to give it to her boss, Haruno Sakura, and that was enough.

End...for now...

Like? Dislike? Want more? Review!


	3. Following Memory

Wow, it's been a while, eh? Here's an offering to the fic, I hope it's palatable! 

Disclaimer: kakasaku and whatnot are not mine. I'm going to go be sad now.

Following Memory

After the little catharsis, Sakura composed herself. So, Kakashi was back. In some way. Not in the village, or else she would have heard about it. Thus, he was back in a metaphorical, intangible, Kakashi-esque way. Which meant he was back in her life, but not necessarily bodily back. Why was she still here in her office contemplating the many definitions of back? She should try and find him! But how. She ran over the facts.

The ugly pot of...greenary smelled like him.

There was a note assumedly written by him.

Maybe there was clue in the shrubbery...

Sakura began parting the leaves and stems of unnamed plants and rediscovered the note. She flipped it over, but nothing was on the back. She raised it up to the light, but nothing was there. This was a waste of her time, why didn't she just go ask someone? Quickly shedding her white doctor's coat, the kunoichi raced out the hospital, leaving her secretary and several confused nurses and doctors to gossip about the abrupt leave of Haruno "Hospital Dweller" Sakura.

Who would know, who would know, hey, red bean mochi's selling at a sixty percent discount? Nonono focus on the task at hand, oh isn't that Ino? Don't wander! And as suddenly as she had begun running she stopped in front of the Hokage building. That's it! she thought, Naruto-kun would know! Ah/Hokage/ would know!

Carefully dusting off her skirt, Sakura entered and briskly climbed the stairs to Naruto's office. She didn't have to ask anyone where it was, all of Konoha knew where the Rokudaime's headquarters were. You could smell it.

Yes, Uzumaki Naruto's office was Ichiraku Ramen Bar's second store, Nii-chiraku Ramen Bar. The thought sometimes made the medic groan and shake her head. What respectable, sane shinobi would establish headquarters there? Then again, Naruto was none of the aforementioned.

After climbing three flights of narrow, wooden stairs, the entrance of the ramen shop was in view. Red cloth hung over the doorway, and a poster to the right of the door depicted Naruto smiling and eating pork ramen and saying, in a cartoon caption, "I'm Hokage and I eat at Ichiraku every day!". Sakura was disgusted by the blatant exploitation of her former teammate's eating habits. Then again, he would probably be allowed to eat there forever without charge thanks to that bit of advertising, so the kunoichi was happy for him. Enough talking! she said, chastising herself, finding the Ramen poster boy is the number one priority!

Sakura didn't have to look far. The moment she entered the smoky, ramen-drenched bar, she saw a mess of distinctive blonde hair poking out from under a wide-brimmed hat. It was simultaneously bobbing up and down, trying to eat ramen, and talking to a very bored Shikamaru. "All I'm saying" slurp "is that we should" gulp "move whatever ANBU units we have" muffled swallowing "to the border. What's wrong with that?"

And this was the person that was suppose to help her find Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja, ex-ANBU and damn pervy Jounin.

Oh goody.

The kunoichi slowly approached as Shikamaru left grumbling and Naruto slurped the remains of ramen from his bowl. Before she could utter a word, Naruto noticed her presence.

"Hey Sakura-chan! Want some ramen?" he exclaimed

"Ah, no, no thanks, Naru- I mean, Hokage-sama" she stuttered, remembering suddenly to bow, "I was wondering if you could help me."

"Aw, don't be formal like that! Come on, grab a chair, what's up?" the Rokudaime insisted as he personally dragged a chair for the medic nin to sit down in. Sakura dutifully plunked down, unsure where to begin. She decided to begin logically.

"Um, Naruto-kun, I mean, Hokage, I was wondering if you've heard from, um, our sensei in a while. Uh, would you happen to know where he is?"

"Yeah. Why? You wanna visit him?" asked Naruto as he finished the noodles. When did he get so smart? Sakura held the urge to scream YES joyfully at him.

"Yes, but, I don't know where he is."

"Don't you listen to rumors?" Naruto asked, cocking his head sideways in confusion. Now Sakura was confused.

"What does that have to do with anything, you moron? I mean, Rokudaime."

"He's at the bathhouses"

"What?" she said shocked. From now one, she was paying more attention to Konoha gossip. "As in the bathhouses that Jiraiya-sama gave you as a congratulations present for becoming Hokage? Why?"

"I asked him to manage it for me until I finished up the Grass and Mist treaty mediations. I don't have time to run a spa when countries are fighting! And since Kakashi-sensei wanted to get away for a while, I gave him the job."

All she could do was gape and stare with large jade eyes as Naruto flung about sensitive information in a greasy pub. By the time the information had sunk into her skull, Naruto was armed with a bowl of pork ramen and had resumed eating.

"D-does that mean I can go visit him, N--Hokage?" Sakura stammered unsuredly, twisting a lock of carnation hair around an index finger.

"Sure! Leave tomorrow! I'll fix it up with the hospital! You need to get out more anyway, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, waving a hand. "You better get packing. The bathhouses are at least a four day trip." Sakura had no choice but to bow gratefully and hurry out of the 'office'. As she returned home, she ran through supplies and the location of the bathhouses, known to everyone. But despite the joy, she could not shake off what Naruto had said but knew nothing about.

"...wanted to get away..." she said softly

Break>

Sakura ran through the list of meticulously chosen supplies and scrutinized her knapsack. It had been a while since she had gone out of Konoha for a mission or even a trip, a daunting fact.

Map, compass, money, food? check.

Clothing, hygenic...devices, for a lack of a collective noun. Check.

Weapons. Check.

Miscellaneous? Check.

She had to smirk. Still queen of bare minimum packing.

She'd start off at dawn. Yes. But for now...

With a yawn, Sakura dragged herself onto the bed, and instantly fell asleep.

A/N: Oh, I really hated this chapter's ending, but it's all I can think of for now. Review if you want more or have suggestions!


End file.
